Artemis Fowl: The Last Unicorn
by FlamingWingsAndFrozenHearts
Summary: A young centaur comes knocking at the Fowls' door, looking for safety from an enemy. Only she's no centaur. And this 'enemy' isn't just another fairy out to get her. It's something bigger. And it's getting stronger. As if the pressure isn't high enough, there's also a really awesome species at risk of extinction. Not the best summary I've ever written. T for language and stuff.
1. The Wedding

**OK. If you have not read _Artemis Fowl: The Unexpected Traitor,_ STOP READING RIGHT HERE. This is TUT's sequel. Now, GO READ TUT!**

 **If you have read TUT, thankyouthankyouthankyou for favoriting, following, and reviewing it and making it the awesome story it is today! And…I know you all came here for the story, not to hear me rant, so…Here it is! The Last Unicorn! Very, very, very early! But I couldn't wait any longer to post it! Plus, I'm starting school on Thursday, so you will be seeing even less of me than you usually do. :,(**

 **But…first I would like to thank jayjthebigmouth for helping me with the wedding. I am only a teenager, so planning an entire wedding alone was a little stressful, but jayj helped me through it. Still, I apologize if some of the details are a tad bit off. I've never even been to a wedding before, so there's probably some stuff in there that's wrong. Just don't flame me for it, okay?**

 **I would also like to say that I need a beta because of school starting and all. I was asking around and NO ONE ANSWERED ME! I need someone who is a spelling/grammar Nazi just in case and who is good at finding "just the right word", because that's something I'm terrible at. If you're good at that yourself or you know someone who is please please PLEASE tell me! Thanks! :-)**

 **Wow. I think this is the longest A/N in the history of ever. Anyway…I present to you…The Last Unicorn!**

 **°°°TLU°°°**

Artemis and Holly did not want a big wedding. They wanted a small, simple wedding, with just their friends and family. That's what they said to Juliet when they asked her to plan the wedding.

Juliet didn't listen.

Instead of a small, simple wedding, they got a gigantic wedding with a guest list that stretched from here to the Moon.

But that'll come later.

Instead, we'll focus on how exactly Juliet wrote a guest list that stretched from here to the Moon without revealing the existence of the People. Luckily, the groom-to-be was a genius, and Holly's engagement ring also doubled as a little gadget thing that, with the help of a little magic, made her the height of an average adult woman. So, that fixes the height problem. But there were other bumps in the road of life that was Artemis' and Holly's future.

Like age.

Luckily, one of Holly's best friends was N°1, the most powerful warlock in the history of ever. He just so happened to know of a spell that could make Artemis' lifespan the same as the average fairy's. He also knew of one that could make Holly's lifespan the same as the average human's. There was a lot of… _debate…_ over which spell to use.

"I'll do it, N°1. Do the spell on me."

"No, Holly. You would live to be a fraction of what you would if you didn't. Let me do it."

"Artemis, if you do it, you will lose your mother and father, Butler, Juliet, and your brothers while you're still young. I won't lose anyone. Besides, I've already lived eighty-nine years, a few centuries cut off my lifespan won't matter as long as I don't have to lose you soon. Wait." She turned to N°1. "The average human lives around seventy-five years. Will the spell kill me if I do it?"

N°1 shook his head. "You are in your early twenties in human years, so you should live about as long as Artemis."

"See? I'm doing it." The look on her face dared him to argue. He took the dare.

"Holly, please, let me do it."

"Just because we're getting married soon doesn't mean I can't punch you."

He sighed. "Okay. If you're sure."

She smiled, happy that she won. "Okay, N°1. I'm ready."

Red sparks shot out of the little imp's hands, and the sparks encased Holly until she thought she was drowning in the magic. Just when she thought she was going to die, the magic let her go and she fell to the floor. Artemis attempted to catch her and instead fell with her.

"Are you okay?" He asked his bride-to-be, helping her up.

"Yeah. Did it work? I don't feel any different."

"Oh, it worked." N°1 answered. "If it didn't, you'd be having severe headaches and stomach cramps. Be glad I am as skilled as they say I am."

Holly nodded. "Thanks, N°1."

As N°1 turned to leave, Artemis remembered something. "Wait, N°1." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and a silver band. "Here."

N°1 took the items from him. "Um…thanks?" He read the card, which was an invitation to their wedding. He held the bracelet out and looked at it. "I don't mean to cause offense, but you are not the type to give gifts just because, Artemis."

Artemis and Holly shared a knowing glance. "Put on the bracelet."

The demon warlock slipped on the band, and his shape began to change. His horns were sucked into his head, his ears shrank, his height doubled, his skin turned from gray to tan, and the magical runes along his forehead and arms changed to look like tattoos. His red eyes changed to blue, and his head sprouted straight, sandy blonde hair that stopped when it reached his ears. He turned and looked in the mirror. "Wow. How…how did you do it?"

Artemis smiled. Only Holly and Butler knew about his magic, and he intended to keep it that way. "Let's just say I am a very smart man, N°1."

N°1 slipped the band off, turning back to his demon self. "Thanks. Well, I have to go. It was nice seeing you, and I'm glad I could help you."

"Bye." The elf and the human chorused. N°1 snapped his fingers, and disappeared with a crack.

The rest of the young couple's fairy friends received similar gifts. Foaly got a copper ring, Caballine got a golden charm bracelet, Qwan got a silver ring, Mulch got a golden chain necklace, and the foals each got little silver chains to put their Books on. The chains came with charms, and the charms held the magic.

But that's not important now.

What's important now is what you've all been waiting for:

°°°TLU°°°

 **Six months after the proposal**

"Oww! Juliet, I swear, stick me with one more pin and I'll stick my foot up your ass!"

"Maybe if you would stop moving, I would stop sticking you! It's like trying to dress a damn worm!"

"Juliet, that pin is too big! You might want to get a smaller one. Ow! Watch it!"

Minerva was holding the pincushion (and occasionally getting stabbed) while Juliet was currently trying to put Holly in her wedding dress. Of course, the dress had needed a few adjustments, and the maids apparently _forgot_ to make those adjustments, so Juliet had to pin up the dress so Holly wouldn't trip over it. Holly wasn't having it.

So, for the next fifteen minutes, the only thing you could here inside Juliet's bedroom was the bride screaming very unladylike curses and Juliet groaning and trying to get the dress on the elf.

As Juliet finally finished with the dress, there was a knock at the door. "What's the password?" Juliet yelled. "Dandelion ducks don't deal with dead dragons that deal decks of dirty door-shaped dogs." "Come in." The door opened, and a woman slipped in and quickly closed it. She had tan skin and muddy brown eyes, and bright blonde hair. She was wearing a forest green dress made of silk. It had one strap over her left shoulder, and cut off in the front at the knees, going to the back in a triangular shape and stopping at the heels. It had a black faux leather belt hanging loosely around the waist. She had forest green eye-shadow and red lipstick, and she was wearing sandals with light brown soles and forest green straps. In her blonde hair was a forest green hairband with little white fabric flowers glued to it. On her right wrist was a golden charm bracelet with two charms on it: a centaur, and an acorn. She smiled at the other women. Juliet was trying to force Holly into heels, and Holly was stubbornly refusing and threatening to punch her. "Need some help, Juliet?"

Juliet groaned. "Yes, please, Caballine. Before long, I'll be headed to the emergency room with a broken face."

Holly looked slightly offended. "I would not send you to the emergency room!" _On my wedding day,_ she added in her mind.

Minerva chuckled at the exchange and slipped out to change. (Holy frond, that rhymes)

"Holly," Caballine sighed, "please, please, _please,_ wear the heels."

Holly looked down at her friend's feet. "Why? _You're_ not wearing heels."

"They would look good on you."

"No one can even see my feet. The dress is long enough to cover them."

"If you wear the heels, Juliet can take the pins out and you will be able to move more freely in that dress."

Holly sighed. "Okay. You got me. I'll wear the damn heels. On one condition."

"Yes?" The other girls asked unanimously.

"We all go out for ice cream once this is over."

Caballine furrowed her brow. "I thought there'll be ice cream at the reception."

Juliet face-palmed. "Nope. I knew I was forgetting something."

"Okay," Caballine cut in, eager to move on. "Holly, we will get you all the ice cream you can eat when this is over. Now, get into those heels, and Juliet, hurry up and take the pins out while I do her hair. Don't worry, you can do her makeup." She added, seeing the look on Juliet's face.

Twenty minutes later, the bride was breathtakingly beautiful.

Her dress was, well, gorgeous. The bodice was held up by a thin strap on each of her shoulders, and it was striped with sparkling diamonds. The skirt was made of layers of thin fabric, and the top layer was cut in pieces and fluffed out so it looked like it was covered in feathers. She didn't admit it, but she actually liked the heels. They were two-inch-high peep-toes. There was a part in the back for her heel to slide into, and there was a part on the top of her foot, not the rest of her foot was bare except for the bottom of the shoe. The part above her foot was comfortably snug and had a diamond flower on it. Her hair was arranged into a loose flower bun in the back. She also had a shoulder length veil on. She had on gold eye-shadow and black mascara, red lipstick, and the tiniest hint of blush.

Holly loved the outfit. The sweetheart neckline looked stunning on her, and the snow-white feathery skirt contrasted with her nut-brown skin. The peep-toe heels were tall enough so Juliet could take out every single pin she had put in. The flower bun Caballine had twisted her auburn hair into just covered the pointed tips of her ears, and the makeup emphasized her features and her large hazel eyes.

It was perfect.

Then she remembered. "Oh, Frond, where are the girls? Caballine, weren't you with them?"

Caballine smiled as Juliet slipped out to change. "The girls are fine, Holly. They are with Angeline. She insisted on helping them get dressed." Holly sighed in relief. "When will they be done?" Caballine looked at the clock on the wall. "They should be done any minute now." As if on cue, the door burst open, and two three-year-old girls burst into the room. They flung themselves at Holly, and she fell back onto the bed. "Girls, get off of me! You'll wrinkle your dresses." Caballine looked around as the twins peeled themselves off of their mother. "Juni, where's Marli?" The little girl looked out the door. "She's back dare." Sure enough, a brown-haired girl was carefully walking down the hall, looking down at her feet. Her face was scrunched up as if she was consentrating hard. Caballine rushed down the hall and scooped up her daughter. "Marli, what's wrong?" Marli looked up at her mother with big brown eyes. "I dunno, Mum. It's jus _so hard_ ta walk wif on'y _two feet!_ It's wike wearnin ta walk all over again!" Caballine rolled her eyes. _Toddlers are so dramatic._ She carried Marli into the room and set her down carefully by her friends. "Jessi, Juni" Holly told her daughters, "I need you guys to help Marli walk. She's not used to being a human with two legs. You need to help her learn so she can walk down the aisle and throw flower petals." Juni tapped her on the leg. "Mommy, will Jessi and me get to walk down the aisle and throw flower petals, too?" "Jessi and _I_." Her sister corrected. Holly smiled, marveling at his much young Jessi was already acting like her father. She looked so much like him, too. Juniper, on the other hand, was the spitting image of Holly . "Yes, Juniper, you and Jessi will get to walk down the aisle and throw flower petals, too. Now, Marli, go practice walking in the hallway. You two, help her." The girls held hands, a Fowl twin on each side of Marli, and walked down the hall, back and forth. Each girl was wearing a silk forest green dress that went down to the knees, with a black faux leather belt like Caballine's. Their sandals also matched Caballine's. Marli was wearing her necklace that Artemis gave her, with two charms. One was her copy of the Book, the other was a small unicorn. Her little brother, Axel's, was similar, but his charm was a dragon.

After about half an hour, Juliet, wearing the groom's wedding band on her thumb, Minerva, and Angeline came in, wearing outfits that matched Caballine's, to announce that the guests had started to arrive.

°°°TLU°°°

"Butler, my hair won't stay down! This gel is useless!"

Butler sighed and stood up to help his charge with his hair. "Artemis, that's not hair gel. That's hand soap."

Artemis read the label on the bottle he had been pouring out over his head. Sure enough, it said "Softsoap Watermelon Paradise". Artemis groaned.

"Hey, look on the bright side, Mud Boy. Now your hair smells like watermelons instead of sweat." Mulch chuckled as he straightened his navy blue tie. Artemis scowled. "I'm going to go take another shower." He muttered and hurried to the bathroom.

Foaly ambled in, walking a little wobbly due to the fact that he had two less legs than he normally did. Butler helped him over to the dresser, where he put on his tie (same color as Mulch's) and tried to tame the brown, curly, wild locks that were his hair. He was unsuccessful, and settled with running a brush through it and leaving it. Mulch snorted at his effort before he pointed out that the dwarf's own hair was much worse. Mulch simply turned away and tucked his necklace into his tux.

Artemis hadn't exactly told the rest what N°1 and Qwan looked like as humans, so when a tan blonde young man and a middle-aged black-haired man with a few gray hairs and green eyes entered the room, Butler almost killed them. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The young man shouted, closing the door. "Butler, it's me. N°1. And this is Qwan."

Butler narrowed his eyes at the two. "Prove it."

"Hmm." The human demon paused in thought. "Oh, okay! The reason Artemis has six toes on one foot is because Foaly was playing online chess while the feet were growing and he accidentally knocked one of his ARClights into the chrysalis. It melded with the clone and grew to be an eleventh toe."

Butler turned to Foaly, a surprised and amused look on his face. "Foaly, is this true?" The centaur-turned-human grimaced and nodded. It was that moment that Artemis decided to step out of the bathroom. He glared at Foaly. "So, the reason my foot still hurts occasionally where the eleventh toe used to be is that there's part of an electronic dragonfly embedded in my foot?" Foaly nodded. Artemis shook his head and returned to fixing his hair, making sure that he was using actual gel this time.

Thirty minutes later, everyone was in matching tuxedos with matching navy blue ties (navy blue was the color Artemis had agreed to, since Amazon didn't sell medium electric blue ties). Foaly left for Juliet's room and Butler slipped the bride's wedding ring onto his pinkie finger just as Artemis Sr. had come in with Myles and Beckett, each wearing an outfit matching theirs, to announce that the guests had started to arrive.

°°°TLU°°°

The time had come. The guests were seated neatly and quickly, thanks to Myles and Beckett, the nine-year-old ushers. The pastor who would be marrying them, Brother Eric Jonssan, stood in his place, as did the male part of the wedding party. They were in the backyard of Fowl Manor. A red carpet was rolled out onto the grass, stretching from the back door to under the arch of flowers over the nervous groom. On either side of the carpet, white lawn chairs were arranged in rows. These chairs were filled with the Fowl family and friends, the Paradizo family, and numerous business associates of Artemis Sr's. Juliet had hired a pianist from the local church to play "Canon in D" by Pachelbel.

Angeline signaled to the pianist to start playing, and the music started.

 _Wow,_ Artemis thought. _That song is prettier than I remember._

He smiled as his daughters and his goddaughter as they skipped down the aisle, throwing rose petals everywhere. They got to the front, then went off to sit by Angeline and Artemis Sr. Next came the bridesmaids, Caballine and Minerva, then Juliet, and finally the audience stood up as the bride came into view, arms locked with Foaly, who had agreed to give her away in the place of her father as her closest male friend whom she wasn't marrying.

As his bride stepped out of the back door onto the red carpet, Artemis found he couldn't breathe. He had never even seen Holly in a dress; this just…well…it was undescribable. He saw her and so many things went through his mind. _What if I don't remember my vows? What if she runs away? Hell, what if she says no?_ Artemis had been watching one of Juliet's old CDs, _Celebrity Weddings._ But when she saw him and beamed at him, all the worry melted out of his heart and was replaced by love. Love for his daughters, love for his wife, love for the people who made this possible and the people who didnt hate them for what they were about to do. He had never del this much love before, and it put him in a much greater mood.

°°°TLU°°°

"Are you ready, Holly?"

Holly sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be, Foaly."

She linked her arm through his and thy started slowly down the aisle. Holly caught sight of Artemis and smiled. _Damn, he's hot._

Juniper waved enthusiastically at her and she waved back as the pianist finished the song and she reached the front of the aisle. Foaly hugged her and sat down in his place by his daughter and son. She took her place in front of Artemis and held his hands. Her whole life flashed before her eyes, and she began to doubt her decision. _Frond, I don't know if I'm ready. Am I willing to give up my whole life for a man?_ She looked into his icy blue and warm hazel eyes for an answer. She found it. _Not just any man._ She reminded herself. _Artemis. The man that I love and want to be with forever. Yes, I'm ready. I just hope he feels the same._

"We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Holly Short and Artemis Fowl. May God bless their souls and lead them through a happy life here on Earth."

Holly bit her lip as Artemis started his vows. "Holly, the day we first met, if someone had come and told me that, thirteen years later, I would be marrying you, I would've told them to call their lawyer because I would have sued them for trespassing. But not now. You have changed me, Holly Short, and I am forever grateful. I am ready to accept you, with all your flaws, as my wife."

"Artemis, all my life I have been looking for the perfect guy. Someone with big muscles and awesome dance moves, someone who has amazing eyes and is a great poet. Someone who would never keep me bored and who would always cheer me up. I realize now that there is no such thing as the perfect guy, but you come very close. Artemis Fowl, you have made me realize that I have been looking in all the wrong places. I was looking at the skin, and not at the heart. I am ready to accept you, with all of your flaws, as my husband."

Brother Eric then said his part. "Artemis Fowl, do you take this woman as your wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, through rich and poor, thick and thin, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"And do you, Holly Short, take this man as your husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, through rich and poor, thick and thin, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"Then I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Artemis leaned down to kiss his wife, and Juliet signaled to Foaly, who pulled a lever on the ground. Fireworks went off behind Artemis and Holly. They pulled away to watch the show.

"Wow. Fireworks." Holly said. "I can't wait to see what she plans for my birthday party."

At the edge of the woods, a centaur watched it all. "Holly Short." She mused."Married a Mud Man. That's good. If that's who she loves, good for her. It's nice to know that there are other hybrids around. Yes, this is perfect. Strong magic, she'll find her way here with no problems. I hope."

°°°TLU°°°

 **Wow. Almost 4,000 words. I think this is the longest prologue in the history of ever. Anyway, I'm gone a answer reviews down here instead of up there and see how that works out. Review!**


	2. Asking For Help

**Thank you to jayjthebigmouth for being my awesome beta, and to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You guys are why I write!**

 **Also, there are no set update times. I have school seven hours a day, five days a week, and a ton of homework. I will write in any free time I may get, and I will try to update ASAP. Every chapter will (hopefully) be at least 2000 words, 1000 if I happen to catch a bad case of writer's block. But things are looking hopeful, as the plot bunny that created this story will not leave me alone. Thank you, and happy reading! (I think I'm gonna make that my catch phrase. Watcha think?)**

°°°TLU°°°

 **Five years later**

Myriad galloped through the woods, clutching the straps of her small backpack tight. She heard the footsteps get louder, but she didn't dare look back. She ran faster in a zigzagging pattern like a rabbit, which made her harder to catch. She made a wide turn to the left and ran back the way she had come. Willing herself to breathe quieter, she heard the footsteps chasing her start to recede. She sighed in relief, but kept running. After a while hers were the only footsteps heard. Panting, she lied down in the grass and pulled a thorn out of her back leg, then sent blue sparks to close the hole. She inspected the other three for injuries. Her hooves were all dried and cracked, but for some reason magic didn't work on hooves, so she was used to it by now. She prided herself on being alone and living this long. But the beast was getting faster, stronger. She knew she had to get help.

She pulled a bandana out of her backpack, tied it around her head, and got up. She looked around. She was surrounded by trees, some still leafless in the beginning of spring. She sniffed the air, and turned sharply to the right. She sensed magic in this direction. Strong magic. Hoping it was a close fairy city and not a hostile magical creature, she pulled the straps around her shoulders and started off in the direction of the source.

°°°TLU°°°

 _I'm close. I can feel it. But this is a Mud Man city. I don't see a shuttleport entrance._

Myriad switched on her hologram. It made the bottom half of her body look human, so she looked like a woman. She'd just have to be careful not to bump into anyone.

She continued on in the direction of the magic, straight towards a certain man's house. She stared at anyone that came close until they backed away, embarrassed. She didn't need to reveal the existence of her people today, even if they had technically outlawed her.

When she saw where the magic she was following ended, where it was, she gasped. _No way._ The sky was getting dark, so she settled down in the bushes beside the house and slept.

°°°TLU°°°

 **Fowl Manor Living Room**

Holly awoke to rustling.

She groaned and rubbed her eyes awake. She was curled up on Artemis' lap, her ring sitting on the table beside the couch. She opened her eyes and saw Butler rearranging the books on the shelf. A glance at the clock told her it was five-thirty in the morning.

"Butler" She moaned. "What are you doing out here?"

He shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. You?"

Her face reddened. "I don't wanna talk about it." With that, she put on her shapeshifting ring and padded down to the bathroom.

The sudden lack of warmth on Artemis' lap caused him to wake up as well. He groaned. "Butler, what are you _doing_? It's five-thirty in the morning."

"I could ask you the same thing." The bodyguard answered, setting down a vase. "Why were you and Holly asleep on the couch?"

Artemis looked down at his lap and muttered something unintelligible, his face red.

Butler picked up a picture frame, dusting under it. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"The bed broke."

Butler tried to hold in his laughter, he really did, but when you hear something like that coming from Artemis Fowl there's not much you can do to stifle the giggles.

"Butler, are you laughing?"

"No…yes!" Butler bent over, taking a breath.

Artemis scowled at him. "Just go assemble another bed."

The older man raised an eyebrow at him. "Where do I get this bed from, Artemis?"

"There's one in the attic."

Butler thought about asking his charge how he knew about the bed in the attic, but decided he didn't want to know and set off to assemble the bed.

He met Juliet on the way up. "Hey, Jules." He greeted. "Pay up."

"What?" Juliet yawned.

"You heard me. It broke."

"What broke?" Momentary confusion passed over her face before her sleepy mind remembered. "Oh. The bed. Wait, it broke? Already? Wow. They're more active than I thought."

"Yup. And five years aren't up. You owe me, little sis."

Juliet groaned. "Let me see if I have fifty Euros in my bank."

She stomped off and Butler continued to the attic.

°°°TLU°°°

Artemis was just nodding off again, with Holly curled up on his lap once more, when the doorbell rang. Holly groaned. "I'll get it."

About that time, Butler came down. "Artemis, there's a fairy at the door."

Artemis put a hand on his wife's shoulder, who had put her ring back on. He hugged her shoulder. "Sorry, Holly, you can't answer it. Butler, please get the door. The fairy is disguised, yes?"

"Yes, sir, she has a hologram.

"Good. Did she look like a city fairy?"

"No, sir, she looked like she lives on the surface. Come see."

Artemis and Holly followed Butler to the security room. Butler pointed to the top right screen. Standing at the front door was a young woman about four feet tall in jeans and a black T-shirt. The shirt was ripped and mud was caked on it in places. She had big brown eyes and long brown hair that was tangled and knotted. She was fairly tan and wore a large bandana around her head. A pointed ear tip just barely stuck out of the rat's nest that was her hair. She had an anxious look on her face, and she kept looking over her shoulder as if something was following her.

"By her height, I'm guessing she is a centaur." Butler continued. "Do you still want me to answer her?"

"Go ahead." Artemis answered. "She doesn't look like one of Foaly's techies, that's for sure. Ask her a few questions, pretend you think she's human, and if she is here for a decent reason, let her in."

The manservant nodded and went back down the stairs as Artemis and Holly sat down to watch on the screen. Artemis pursed his lips. "Do you recognize her?"

Holly shook her head. "No, I've never seen her before in my life."

Artemis nodded once and shifted his gaze back to the screen.

°°°TLU°°°

Butler opened the door and looked at the fairy with a menacing glare. "Are you lost, miss?"

She shook her head, speaking in a slightly scratchy voice from lack of water. "No, I think this is the right place." Myriad could feel the magic inside this house calling to her. She knew that whatever was the source of all this magic was in the house. She looked over her shoulder again. She knew that the beast wouldn't dare come out in broad daylight, surrounded by humans, but it was still early. The sun had barely begun to show over the horizon. "Can we please talk inside?"

"Not until you tell me why you're here."

Myriad may have been an outcast, living on the surface her whole life, but even she knew who Artemis Fowl was, and she knew this man knew what she was. "I'm here because of magic." That was true. "I know you know what I am. _Please_ , can we talk inside?" There was a hint of urgency in her voice.

Butler sighed. "Fine. Let me get Master Artemis." He held the door for the girl and told her to take a seat on the couch. He then met Artemis half way to the security room. "Is Holly coming?" He asked.

His charge nodded, putting a hand on what seemed to be thin air. "Holly is shielded, just in case this fairy knows who she is."

They returned to the living room to find the girl awkwardly trying to sit on the couch. She had turned off her hologram to reveal a chestnut horse body and dark brown tail. She was trying to situate this body on the couch, and failing miserably. Artemis chuckled. "You don't have to sit down if you don't want to." She sighed in relief and stood up, her cracked hooves clicking on the wooden floor. "Thank you. I'm Myriad, by the way."

"Artemis. Artemis Fowl." He stuck out his hand, and she hesitantly shook it.

As soon as she touched his hand, she felt it. Magic. Coursing through his veins, flowing in his blood, all throughout his body. Strong magic. She jerked her hand back, startled by the magic in this human.

Artemis looked at her with confusion and suspicion written all over his features. The young centaur smiled nervously and slowly backed away. Artemis sat on the couch and Butler took his place behind his charge. Myriad knelt down on the floor, her legs tired from running almost all day the previous day. Artemis clasped his hands together. "So, Myriad. Why are you here? What business do you have here that involves me or this household?"

But Myriad wasn't looking at him. She was looking at the space on the couch directly next to him. She cocked her head. "Who is that? Is that a fairy?"

The young man blinked. "I'm sorry, what do you mean?"

"Is someone recording this conversation?" Myriad continued. "Were you expecting me? Did you not know I can see through shields? Do you not know that there is a fairy sitting on the couch beside you? A fairy that looks human?" She gasped. "Do you know what I am?"

Artemis sighed. "Holly, unshield." Holly shimmered into the visible spectrum beside him, her legs crossed at the ankles and her face contorted into a curious and surprised but wary expression. "How…how? How can you…what are you?"

Myriad drew a shaky breath. "I'm not answering any questions until you prove to me that you aren't working for some government or something. And that LEP suit doesn't help at all." She answered, eyeing Holly's uniform. "I'm not working for the LEP anymore." The elf explained. "This suit is the only thing I own that I can shield in." Myriad didn't look convinced.

"Look, Myriad." Artemis started. "We weren't expecting you, and we have no idea what you want from us, so can we please get this over with?" He yawned. "Its six forty-five in the morning, and I'd like to get some sleep sooner or later."

"What makes you think I want something?" Myriad asked.

"Oh, please." A voice said from the stairs. "He's Artemis Fowl. Everyone wants something from him." She stopped short when she reached the bottom. "Um, Artemis? Did Caballine get a makeover or did you kidnap another fairy girl?"

"Neither." Holly answered her. "This centaur showed up on the doorstep wanting to come in. Please go make me some coffee. Medium brown–"

"Seven sugars, three creams, I know. Artemis, you want any?"

"No, Juliet, I'm fine."

"Kay." She skipped into the kitchen, and the couple turned back to Myriad.

"Myriad, how can you see through shields?" Holly asked. "Centaurs don't have magic. They can't see through shields. The only non-magical creatures that can see through shields are rats and two species of monkey. Not centaurs."

"That is true." Myriad answered, getting up. She walked over to the desk in the corner of the living room and picked up a pair of scissors out of a cup. "You are absolutely right." She clopped back in front of them. Before they could stop her, she opened the scissors and plunged one of the blades into her arm, making a deep cut. She pulled it out, and a flurry of blue sparks raced to stop the bleeding and sew up the wound. She looked at Artemis' and Holly's expressions of disbelief. "I will explain everything later. But the is something I must ask of you if you want answers. First…"

"I need your help."

°°°TLU°°°

 **kappufanit: No, although I may use the bridesmaids dresses in my future wedding.**

 **shaadiaThePrincessOfWeird: Yes! That's how I always imagined them.**

 **Awesome3.1415926: Love the name. Keep reviewing!**

 **jayjthebigmouth: Don't worry. Happens to me ALL THE TIME.**

 **BossMan1a22: Thanks! I'll update as soon as I have time.**

 **RAHbooks: Thanks. I got the idea from KellyCat77's _All I Want For Christmas Is You._ Go check it out, it's really good.**

 **Remember to review! P.S.: Does anyone know(or think they know) Myriad's secret yet?**


	3. Lion of Legends

**Thank you to all who waited patiently while this chapter came out. If you didn't want to kill me then, you will now. I recently got a Wattpad account! Yay me! If you have Wattpad, go follow me FireFliesAndIcySkies. Anyway, I have been having problems with my tablet, mainly it won't let me get on the Internet unless I feel like waiting half an hour for it to load. So...I have decided to continue the story on Wattpad.**

 **Before you go off on me, let me explain. I am going to post TUT on Wattpad then post what I have of TLU on. I will continue writing TLU on Wattpad, but every five or six chapters I will stop and post everything back on here. The reason is Chrome is being stupid on my tablet, I have no access to a computer anymore, and Wattpad is offline so it will be easier. The reason I am telling you this is so you know that there will be incredibly long waits in between updates, but I will post five or six chapters at a time. Is this okay? Or are you going to kill me now?**

°°°TLU°°°

S _he looked at Artemis' and Holly's expressions of disbelief. "I will explain everything later. But there is something I must ask of you if you want answers. First…"_

 _"I need your help."_

°°°TLU°°°

"Help." Artemis repeated. "What do you need help with?"

"I have an–an enemy–that I need help defeating." The centaur answered.

"Who is this enemy?" Holly asked her, leaned slightly toward her.

" All I know for certain is that his name is Leo."

The group pondered this for a moment. "Leo, as in the zodiac sign, Leo?" Holly asked.

"Leo is the Latin name for lion." Artemis observed. "Your enemy is a lion?"

"Hmm, Leo, Leo…" Juliet muttered, returning from the kitchen with Holly's coffee. She handed the elf the mug and sank into an armchair opposite the couch. "Is it mythological? There is a human legend on the mythological lion that the constellation Leo represents. They say it represents the Nemean lion that Hercules had to kill as the first of his 12 Labors."

The others looked at her in confusion.

Juliet sighed. "You guys seriously do not know the legend of Hercules? The mythical half-god? Stronger than a hundred men by the time he was eight?" All she got in response were more clueless looks. She sighed again. "The Nemean lion was a fearsome beast that terrorized the land, killing all who went near it. It was stronger, larger, smarter, and fiercer than the average lion. Plus, its pelt was strong and thick enough that metal, wood, and stone couldn't penetrate it."

"How did he kill it?" Myriad asked.

"He strangled it to death."

They thought for a moment. After a while, Holly spoke up. "So, since we don't exactly have a Hercules on hand–no offense, Butler– how're we gonna kill this thing?"

"Are we positive that this is a Nemean lion?" Artemis countered. "There is barely any evidence at all, much less toward this conclusion. We need to be certain of what it is before we plan its death."

"So we need to see it." Butler concluded. "We need to know what we're up against. How big it is, how strong it is, how smart it is, what it wants, if it's even a lion. Myriad, have you ever seen it before? Do you know anything about it that can help us?"

Myriad nodded. "I saw it once, when I was a small filly. It wasn't very big then. Only about the size of a horse. But its mane was so bright, the color of fire. It might have actually been fire. It was really skinny though. I could see its ribs through its skin. It lunged at me, tried to kill me, but my mother jumped in front of it, screamed at me to run…" Here the young centaur sniffed and a tear rolled down her cheek, but she continued. "I ran for my life, but later, after it had gone away, I went back. My mother's body lay on the ground. There was a single slash across her throat where the lion had sliced it open, but other than that, her body was unmarked." More tears slid down Myriad's cheeks as she finished her story. "It didn't eat her. It wasn't killing for food. It was killing to kill. And it tried to kill _me_. It aimed for _me_. Ever since, it's been following me, chasing me, but it only comes out at night, and never in a place where people live. Only in the wilderness, or unexplored forests. It has grown, though. I haven't seen it since, but it is much faster and has way more stamina than it did the first time. I'm guessing it's gotten bigger, too, judging by the sound of the footsteps."

"I'm so sorry." Holly told her. "Who…who raised you?"

"I raised myself."

"So you have no other living relatives?"

Myriad sighed. "Mum used to tell me that I had a twin. She would have kept him, but she couldn't. So she dropped him off at the doorstep of a government building, hoping someone would take care of him. She said that one day, when society changed, she would take me to the city where she took him, to find him. Now, I have no hope of ever finding him. He is my last living relative, and I don't even know the name of the city where she took him." Myriad tried to hold the tears back, but they were too strong. Juliet got down on the floor, patting her back and whispering soothingly to calm her down.

"Okay," Artemis said after a few minutes, breaking the silence. "We need to focus on the problem at hand. There is quite possibly a giant lion around here. If it is the reincarnation of the Nemean Lion or simply a large lion, we need to find out."

Holly cocked her head in thought. "Usually all human myths are started because of some fairy secret that leaked out. Maybe this Nemean Lion is actually a magical creature. I'll call Foaly." No sooner had she said that than the heard a scream from above, then running footsteps, then a male voice gently shushing the screamer, who was now crying for her mommy. "Shh, Juni, shh, go back to sleep."

"I can't, Beck! I'm so scared! I want Mommy!"

The little girl continued to sob until the boy carried her into the living room. A tan boy of about fourteen years of age came down the stairs into the living room. He was carrying a small, dark skinned girl with long auburn hair and icy blue eyes. He put her down as he neared the end of the staircase, and she ran to Holly, throwing her arms around her mother's neck.

"Shh, Juni, shh, stop crying. What's wrong?"

The nine-year-old girl looked up at Holly, her face red and wet from crying. "Mommy, it was so scary! There was this big lion, and Daddy was there, and Jules was there, and you were there, and–and–and it was undescribably _terrifying_!"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "And Myles and Jessica didn't hear all this?"

Beckett shrugged. "Those two could sleep through the zombie apocalypse."

"A lion." Holly repeated. "What did the lion look like, Junebug?"

Juniper scrunched up her face in thought. "It was big, about the size of a cement truck, and its mane was really bright, like fire. It was a little skinny, but not too bad. I couldn't clearly see its ribs, just a faint outline of its hipbone. It had black eyes, like two bottomless pits inside its skull. It was really strong, too. Even your Neutrino couldn't penetrate its pelt. And it smelled funny. Like rainbows."

Artemis smiled, proud of his daughter's observant skills. "What exactly do rainbows smell like?"

The little girl shrugged. "That's the best way to describe it. The way it smelled, it filled me with happiness and hope and strength and awe. Like it ate a unicorn."

Then horror was spread across her young features and she raced to the stairs.

" _JESSICA_!"

(if this were a movie, here is the commercial break.;)

°°°TLU°°°

Holly jumped up after her and followed her. The others, having not been trained by the LEP for fifty years, stared in shock at the staircase for a second before racing up.

They found the little girl at the bedside of her twin, crying and whispering, "Jessica, wake up! Please wake up!". The family cat, Calypso, was meowing and nudging the sleeping girl's head, trying to wake her. Artemis knelt down beside his crying daughter and took her hand. "Hey," he whispered, "what happened?"

Juniper turned to him, tears streaming down her face. "It hurt her." The girl whispered. "The lion. We were having a joint dream. I saw it. It lunged for her. It hit her. It might've killed her. Daddy, do something." Juniper looked at her father with large, icy blue eyes, pleading. Artemis reached a hand out and held Jessica's in his. He closed his eyes to concentrate and sent a small stream of sparks to her head. In a few moments, she awoke, breathing heavily. Juniper threw her arms around her sister, then her dad, and Holly joined in the hug. Then it was question time.

Artemis turned to Jessica. "Jessica, what happened? How did it attack? Were you able to identify any weak points?"

Jessica nodded. "Yes, Father. It lunged from the left side, then switched to the right at the last second. It seemed to be favoring its left hind leg, as if something was stuck in the paw pad. It had a couple ripped out claws in its front feet, and its tongue was slightly swollen."

Artemis nodded. "Girls, go back to sleep. Your mother and I have something to do." The girls nodded and Juniper climbed into bed.

Back in the living room, Holly was on the phone with Foaly and Artemis was trying to find as much information as possible about a large lion on the LEP databases while Foaly was distracted. Beckett had woken Myles and the boys were sitting on either side of their brother, helping him hunt for information. Myriad was lying on the floor, and Juliet was tending to her cracked hooves and tangled hair. Butler was standing over them, watching it all. After what seemed like forever, Holly spoke up. "Okay. I've arranged an appointment with Foaly and N°1 at five-o-clock tomorrow. They are coming up here." She yawned and looked at the clock hanging over the fire place. "Shit. It's six-forty-five. Is anyone else tired?" She was met with nodding heads. "Okay. We need sleep. Juliet, can you show Myriad to a guest bedroom?" "Sure, and then I'm out." "The bed's ready." Butler whispered in her ear. She smiled. "Thank you, Butler. Can you get the boys to bed?" She looked over at her husband and brothers-in-law. Artemis was asleep, his hands still on the keyboard of the laptop. Myles and Beckett were passed out on either side of him. She watched as Butler gently picked up the younger boys and, without waking them, carried them to their room. Holly carried Artemis bridal-style to their room and let sleep overtake her. All that was happening then was forgotten. For the moment, she was happy.

°°°TLU°°°

 **Please review...please don't kill me...please review...please don't kill me...**


	4. Goodbye

Guys. Sorry about the wait. I'm back from the dead. Also, sorry for getting your hopes up for another chapter when this is really just a stupid dam authors note. (It's a Percy Jackson thing, you wouldn't understand).

As you know, I have not been updating. (Duh) The truth is, I've lost interest in this book. I have no inspiration or time to write it. But I promised you guys a sequel, and a sequel you will get.

I asked my BFF Jayjthebigmouth if she would finish TLU for me, and she said yes! She is an awesome writer and an awesome person, and I think you guys will love reading the rest of TLU.

JJ is (probably) writing TLU on Wattpad, but after she's done, I'll either ask her to publish it here or publish it myself. I haven't forgotten you!

I'm gonna miss getting all your comments and PMs. I am officially leaving FanFiction. I love y'all, I really do, but I can't do it anymore. FanFiction is too much of a hassle in my already busy life and I can't deal. I'm sorry. If you love me come look me up on Wattpad FireFliesAndIcySkies. Thank you for all your support, especially through TUT! I'm not deleting my account, I may visit every now and then, but I will not be publishing any more stories. I'm sorry. Goodbye.(I cried writing this. But it's for the best. Right?)

Thank you for reading it in the first place, and for all the support that you gave me through all of my stories. And, for the last time (and possibly the first(?)), may your wings burn and your hearts freeze. *sniff* *sniff* *waterfalls down my cheeks*


End file.
